Sugar & Spice
by Endam
Summary: A pony finds himself abruptly tossed into Equestria, and has to make his way through a world he has never experienced before.    Please R&R!
1. Prologue

Sugar & Spice, by Endam. I do not own My Little Pony or any of the characters from the show.

Prologue: First Steps

"YEOW!"

A loud, raucous yell bounced off the trees, sending birds scattering and small animals peering curiously out of a multitude of different burrows and holes. The noise was an odd one, not something that usually disturbed the warm summer days that were filled with the low buzz and hum of insects. After a few moments of silence, one brave bird returned to its perch, peering curiously around the leafy boughs of the young maple to see what had given it a fright. There didn't appear to be anything there though. Blinking its beady eyes, the bird hopped away chirruping crossly.

A short distance away, staggering out of the thick forest bushes, a dark blue pony with a hoof to his head and rolling opalescent eyes that seemed to shimmer as both green and blue. These were half hidden under a messy blonde mane of hair, spiking a short way down his neck. Poking out from the tangle was the horn that marked him as a unicorn. Perhaps the most curious thing about the pony, however, was his cutie mark. Sitting there on his blue flank was what appeared to be three cubes of sugar, stacked in a pyramid shape. Upon closer inspection, one would see that engrained into these cubes was a weaving and curving path of lines, almost like a maze. In the centre of each maze, a small circle that filled in with six triangles, their converging points surrounded by an even smaller circle. Only if one looked closely, of course, this most didn't bother to do.

"Bloody technetium…" He muttered to himself, shaking his head and scuffing at the ground with his other front hoof. At the sight of his own leg, the pony stopped talking, and his eyes visibly shrank. Jaw dropped to an impressive depth, and his chest began to heave.

"What the hell!"

Springing backwards as if trying to escape his own legs, the pony fell over onto his rump, scrambling backwards across the warm grass.

"Oh no, no no no. How did it even do that? It's a chemical, for buck's sake." Wait, buck? He hadn't meant to say that, had he? No, of course not, what kind of swear word was buck? The silence that ensued was tainted with fading panic, a refusal to acknowledge the world around him, but slowly being replaced with calm acceptance. Reluctant acceptance yes, but acceptance nonetheless. Shining eyes, momentarily hidden behind his messy hair, looked down again at the lithe yet round body, blue and hooved. It took him a few minutes to find the strength to get up again, and when he did, he took a look at his surroundings. It was a forest, obviously, but it wasn't very thick. So that had to mean that he was near the edge, and maybe even near others. They'd be able to tell him where he was. Well… If they didn't laugh at him that was.

"Kay, note to self. Never mix technetium with ionised bismuth again. Guess I should take a look around anyway. Let's see… I stumbled through there, so let's go the other way." The stallion snorted, flicking a scraggly blond tail. Without another word, he whirled around and trotted away from the hole he'd made in the bushes, as though by leaving it behind he could escape this situation. The birds had all returned by now, but just as they were getting settled, another yell made them fly away again.

"I have a HORN?"


	2. Chapter 1: Discovery

Chapter One: Discovery

It had been a few hours before the pony managed to find his way onto what looked like a beaten and worn dirt path. It stretched as far as he could see both ways, with no sign of buildings or creatures anywhere. But surely this would take him somewhere hospitable? Before the unicorn had left the woods, he'd had the inspiration to check back where he'd found himself. Lo and behold, his bag was there, which was now slung over his back as his hooves hit the path. Exactly where he was headed, he could not say, for there were no signposts of any kind and no other ponies to be seen. Not that he would have known what to say if he had met any. The hot sun floated lazily in the sky above, sending his mind wandering, and it drifted through questions in his head.

'_It's actually pretty nice here. Wonder why there's no one else around. Thought this place was quite well populated…'_ But one thought burst through the warm haze, and startled him into full awareness. '_I can use magic?'_

Well, there certainly wasn't any harm in giving it a try. Reaching around with his mouth, the pony grabbed his bag off of his back and dropped it to the dusty ground. Lowering his head, he pointed the horn at the bag. It then struck him that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Were there like… Words that you had to think or something? None of the ponies he'd ever seen had shown him how to use magic before, so he was kind of stuck on that point. Perhaps there was someone who'd be able to help him out. If he ever actually found anyone, of course.

The journey down the dirt path filled most of his day, very lonely but for the company of the occasional bird that squawked at him from its nest in a tree. He was sure he saw some cows in one of the fields he passed, but they were too far off his track for him to go over and say hello. Cows often preferred to keep to themselves anyway, it seemed. Lunch had been brief, a sandwich from his bag. He had plenty of money in there; the unicorn always kept a good amount on him for when he went travelling. He wasn't quite sure where how he had ended up here though, and it was something he really wanted to find out. The relentless clip clop of hooves on the track had lulled him into a dream-like state, and he had stopped paying attention to the path ahead. It was all the same anyway, dirt and grass, dirt and grass, followed by… dirt and grass. Eeyup. By now, the unicorn had run out of things to think about, which was okay with him because his mind was instead filled with a soft fuzz, and he didn't come out of the stupor till a distinct **crack** behind him made him leap into the air in surprise. Spinning around, colourful eyes narrowed suspiciously. Was someone following him? But how was that even possible? No one knew who he was, no one even knew he was here. Or was it that soft bit of paranoia catching up with him again? Of course, that was it.

"I'm not crazy." He laughed, shaking the blond mane and turning back towards the path. And smacked right into a lime green pony, toppling straight back to the ground again.

"Hi! What're you doing out here this late all by yourself? You should really find somewhere to stop before it gets dark. Ooh, it's getting dark now. Oh, I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Jelly! What's your name?" The pony said excitedly, curly red hair quivering as if trying to contain itself.

The unicorn just stared up at the green pony, jaw somewhere on the dusty path.

"Wha... How did you sneak up on me? Why did you?"

"Pft, silly, I didn't sneak up on you! I walked over when you were staring the other way. I wanted to see what was so interesting! Was it awesome? I bet it was awesome." The pony reached down suddenly with a hoof, grabbing and yanking the blue stallion to his hooves.

"Uh, thanks, I guess. I'm…" He stopped for a second, eyes fazed, then continued "Sugar Rush. The name's Sugar Rush. Pleased to meet you, Jelly." He could see now that it was a mare, and it occurred to him that she must be rather strong to just pull him up like that. That or she didn't obey the laws of gravity. "As for what I'm doing out here… Well, I wish I could tell you, but I can't. I don't even know myself. And I hadn't really noticed how late it was getting… Does it get dangerous at night?" A sudden worry gripped Sugar, but he tried not to let it show. Best to make a good first impression. If he hadn't already botched that up, that was.

"Hmmmmm. Well I wouldn't say dangerous, BUT, if you're clumsy, there's all kinds of trees that you could walk into, and ditches to fall into, oh and animals to stand on." Jelly looked around, then leant in closer to Sugar. "They really don't like being stood on. Trust me, I know. Anyway, where're you headed Sugar?"

Sugar Rush couldn't help but laugh at the seriousness with which she talked about standing on animals.

"Call me Rush, it sounds better. And I'm really not sure about that, either. I kinda… Crash landed here. Is there a town or something nearby?"

"Crash landed? What, like a spaceship? Are you an alien? Cause that'd be amazing! Wait, why do aliens look like unicorns?"

"I'm not an alien, and I didn't arrive in a spaceship. Focus, Jelly, is there a town near here?"

"Oh um, nope, sorry. " The earth pony said, shaking her head and looking overly sad at the lack of settlements. Settlements were awesome, after all, and she liked things that were awesome. This new unicorn seemed awesome, even if he wasn't an alien.

"Oh damn. Well, I guess I'll keep walking then. Hey wait, if there's no town nearby, what are YOU doing out here?" Rush asked with a frown, back hoof tapping on the grass. It really was starting to get dark now, and though he hated to admit it, Rush didn't like the dark very much.

"I'm just travelling and bumping into people like you. Althouuugh you did bump into me, not the other way around. It was still a worthwhile bump though!"

Rush looked at the excitable mare, a small smile on his face. Her hyperness was pretty amusing, and it really was rather nice to have met someone so soon. Maybe she was going the same direction he was? If so...

"I see… If you're going the same way as me, want to travel together? It would help keep dangers away, at least. I mean if you don't want to, I understand, you just met me after all."

"I'd love to! Road trip!"

"Of course."


	3. Chapter 2: Friends?

(Check my profile for bonus art for this story!)

Chapter Two: Friends?

Dawn out in the country was quiet, far quieter than the never-ending bustle of large cities like Trottingham and Manehattan. Even smaller villages had those early rising ponies that worked from the wee hours of the morning till late at night. Not that Sugar Rush knew about any of these places. He was still rather new to Equestria after all. But with the help of Jelly, there was no doubt that he'd find his place. After their encounter the previous evening, they had walked till the night became overbearing on his senses and he'd requested they stop. Thankfully, Jelly hadn't asked why. She'd just immediately turned off the road and parted the bushes to show a clearing that had to be big enough for at least six ponies to rest in. Sugar Rush had gone after her, casting a glance at the night sky behind them. So, he was in Equestria now. Better get used to it, bismuth and technetium weren't going to be easy to come by here. Unless these ponies were quite advanced in the field of chemistry, and he somehow doubted that.

The clearing was clean, and the unicorn had taken his place by a tree. While not the most comfortable of things to lean on, it was a safety thing. One less side that he was vulnerable on. Jelly, on the other hand, spent a bit of time… Sitting up the nearest tree. Rush really had no idea how she'd gotten up there; one moment she was staring up at the branches, a determined look on her face, and the next her purple eyes were fixed on the moon from her position between the branches. Shaking his head, Rush had plopped his bag (would one call it a saddle-bag now? It made more sense that way) down beside the tree, folding his legs. What he wouldn't have given for a nice soft bed! But out here, you had to make do with what you had. And honestly, he didn't have much. It was easier just to close his eyes and go to sleep.

When morning rolled around, Sugar Rush had woken early to an empty clearing. Neck popping as he stretched it to peer around, worry was the first thing that touched him again. Was he on his own again? Well that was to be expected. '_After all, I'm not a very interesting pe… pony, am I?'_

"Morning!"

"YAH!"

Jelly had stuck her head down out of the tree he had slept under, frightening him with a cheery greeting, and causing him to leap up and smack his head on a branch with a loud thunk.

"Ow… Oh… Crap." Legs dangled off the ground, suspended by what was now a unicorn piñata. Stuck with his horn through a rather thick branch, all Sugar could do was swing his body a bit.

"Little help?" He pleaded, twisting to try and see Jelly. But of course, he couldn't move his head, so he couldn't spot her. Whether or not that was a good thing, he couldn't quite figure out.

"Okay, hold still while I break this." The perky voice rang clear from above, sounding oddly calculating at the same time. It was enough to bring an edge of fear into Sugar's eyes.

"Break… what? What are you doing? Jelly?" Rush began to twist more harshly to no avail. The branch that currently held him captive suddenly bent sharply, and his hind hooves touched the ground again. Well that was a start anyway, now maybe he could use it as leverage to- why was the branch still bending? Then the snapping started, and Rush gave a sigh. Of course. Cracks ran up the branch as the mare jumped up and down on it, and Rush realised that if it gave way, it was going to be a rough landing for her.

Then the branch gave way, and both she and the pieces fell on his head with a crash.  
>"Gmfsfmph…"<p>

"Hm? I didn't catch that, sorry." Jelly piped, clambering off the stallion.

"Ow."

"You sure say that a lot. Well c'mon, we gotta get moving! The more path we can cover before the sun goes down, the better." She offered, and turned away, curly hair bouncing against her neck. From that angle, Rush got his first good look at her cutie mark. It was a wobbly red dessert on a white plate. Well, that figured. Nothing deep or mysterious about that, right? His own, on the other hand… Why sugar cubes? Why sugar cubes with mazes in them? That made about as much sense as a flying pig. Mind you, in a land where pegasi lived, maybe that did make sense.

"You coming, Rush?" Jelly called out through the bushes, poking her nose back through the plants damp from morning dew. The unicorn just stared back at her for a moment, and then nodded.

'_Yeah yeah, I'm coming. Doesn't help that you just fell on me.' _He stretched his legs out; the joints popping again in a way that while not exactly painful, made him wince. It was more the sudden feeling of the cracking than anything else. Grabbing the bag in his mouth, Rush chucked it over his back and bolted out of the clearing to join Jelly on the road again.

They walked together in silence, taking the time to watch the world wake around them. Well, Rush did. Jelly couldn't seem to keep walking in a straight line. And she had to pull him with her wherever she went.

"Hey, look at these birds! They're so cute! I've never seen birds that have so many different colours on them at the same time. What do you think they are?" She asked Rush at one such time, pointing to a chirruping family of what looked like blackbirds after dragging him off the path. Rush was confused at first, but as he tilted his head, the light perspective changed, revealing a hidden rainbow amongst the dark plumage.

"Those look like starlings, I think. We had lots of them back home. It's odd how they look black until the light hits them just right."

"Pretty."

"You think anything with more than three colours is pretty."

"Yep!"

"Heh, alright, come on. So what IS the nearest town to here anyway?" Rush asked curiously, eyes rolling upwards in a random attempt to see if he could see his own horn. No such luck though, it was hidden behind the messy blond hair.

"Er, if I remember right, it's a little place called Colton. It's a nice village though! I've got a few friends there that I can introduce you to, and I just know they'll love you!"

Well, that actually sounded pretty good to Rush. Though he'd only just arrived in this place the day before, they had already covered a good distance along the road, and he really wasn't the travelling type. In Colton, he'd be able to pause and look over his options, decide where he was going to end up, and maybe start living. Living, and making friends. Though he thought, with a small glance at Jelly, that he had already made his first. And though she might just end up scaring him to death one day, she was nice to be around. Yeah, he would definitely call her a friend.


End file.
